College offering a free redesign

Friday, June 10, 2011By Clint Confehr, Senior Staff Writer

Leaders of the Lewisburg Downtown Alliance are looking for property owners and tenants around Marshall County's Courthouse and short stretches of adjoining streets where students from O'More College of Design provide free design services to improve economic vitality through visual enhancements.

O'More College is also collaborating with the Marshall County Chamber of Commerce in anticipation of a summer class to be taught in Lewisburg from Sunday afternoon, July 31, to Friday morning, Aug. 5, according to David Koellein, an assistant professor and chairman of the college's Interior Design Department.

Similar programs have been conducted in Pulaski, Lawrenceburg, Lafayette and Livingston.

Told of application forms that must be received by mail, fax or e-mail by June 21 at the college's campus in Franklin, Marshall County Attorney Bill Haywood expressed some interest in finding out what the students might advise for his private law firm office building on Belfast Avenue, especially since he would have no bill to pay unless he decided to act on the designs. The brick building was a Post Office and a restaurant before it was renovated to appear similar to the Polk House in Columbia, Haywood said.

The Rev. Leland Carden is president of the Lewisburg Downtown Alliance. This week, he, Mayor Barbara Woods and others have been talking to owners of properties and tenants around the public square to provide application forms and explain O'More's summer class.

"During that week (in late July and early August) the students will interview clients, work within a designated budget, and fully redesign interior spaces or exteriors and present their solutions to the community at the end of the week," Carden said. "In the past, many merchant-clients have followed through, implementing the students' suggestions, and have been unfailingly pleased with the outcome.

"We hope to have at least 10 projects," Carden said. "If more than 10 are received, O'More will make selections based on the community's strategic goals and their students' capacities."